Automatic train pipe connecter



Aug. 3, 1937. J. ROBINSON AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTER 2 Sheets-:Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 25, "193.5

INVENTOR.

Aug. 3, 1937. J. ROBINSON AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTER Filed' Feb. 25, 1935 2 SheetsSheet 2 tically disposed attests UNETED STATEE' PATENT- GFFIQE AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTER Joseph Robinson, New York N. Y.

face of the head;

Application February 13 Claims.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Figure l as viewed at a right angle to the longitudinal center line of the gasket assem- Figure 3 is a sectional plan viewtaken on approximately the line'3-3 of Figure 1. In this view my improvement occupies when installed; Figure 4 is a rear view is seen in the position it of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional detail, on reduced scale, of the means for removably securing the steam hose to the coupling head. This view is taken on the line 55 of Figure 2 Figure 6 is a rear Such a co-pending application, November 26, 1934.

My improved plementary part-spheric coupling head A fiat base It, which in front View and comprises a veral ball or pilot lug I2, the

seat and the lug being disposed on opposite sides of'the vertical center of the head andin the same horizontal plane' Locat ed on the transverse cenletter V. O'n'one side of 25, 1935, Serial No. 8,092

ter of the head, and below, though not necessarily be10w,the horizontal center of the seats II I2, I provide" a housing B which extends rearwardly away from the rearof the head. The housing is open at one side to receive a standard hose fitting I4 having an enlarged gasket carrying end I 5 which, asshown, rests in and projects through an opening formed inthe head centrally of the housing. A suitable spring retained plunger pin I6 operates through'bea-rings in the housing and through a lug I1 on the rear side of the fitting to removably retain the fitting in place. Formed integral with or otherwise secured to the rear side of the housing I provide a threaded shank I8 or other suitable means for attaching my improved coupling head to a suitable support C. To give strength and rigidity, without excessive weight, to the base I0 of my improvement I turn the upper and lower edges thereof rearwardly to provide a flangeIB, and'I extend the upper wall of the housing laterally to the outer end of the coupling head A as shown particularly in Figure ing laterally 'tothe centering seat II I provide a furtherreinforcing rib ZI, which extends from the housing B upwardly along the back of the base I 0. I

It will be noted that a part of the lower side or bottom 23 of my improved coupling head lies in the horizontal plane fora short distance on either side of the vertical center of the head, and thence flares upwardly ending in the relatively narrow extremities 24-25 which give the base I!) the heretofore stated general shape of a flat the vertical center line the head is provided with a forwardly extending downwardly and outwardlyflaring guiding prong or wing D. In the present embodiment of my invention the upper face of this guide conforms to of the lower side of the base to which it is secured. The guide is preferably. formed inbe of any shape and construction desired, entering the centering seat II, which may 'be of any complementary shape and construction desired. v The portion 26 of the wing base serves as a rest 'or seat for the complementary surface 23 of an opposing'head when coupled or during the act of coupling; But as stated, the accurate final alignment of the gaskets '21 of opposing heads is and at 22 another a the base in at substantially a right formed in it and in the done by the guiding lug or ball member 12 and the centering seat H. These guiding parts serve also, in cooperation with the forward thrust of the support C to hold the heads when coupled against relative shifting. To satisfactorily secure this interlocking effect it is not necessary that the part-spherical pilot member l2 shall ex tend away from the face of the coupling headmore than a short distance in order for the pressure of the thrust spring which forms a part of the supporting means C to create a firm interlock of these parts. It will be observed that the centering seat i! comprises a plurality of inwardly projecting rugged lugs 28, the front faces 2% of which are machined to the curve of the machined face of the pilot member, i2, and that between these lugs openings or ways 30 are provided to prevent the accumulationin the centering seat of any foreign substance which might interfere with the proper registering of the parts. By reason of the oblique inclination of the base If) of my improved coupling head (see Figure 3) such base, in itself constitutes a member for gathering the heads into alignment under lateral displacement. During this gathering act the low part-spherical centering lug l2 slides along the front face of the base it} of an opposing head toward, and finally into, the centering seat II of such head. The proportion and shape of this centering member I2 is such that in event it strikes against or slides across the gasket 21 no damage to the gasket will result. It will be observed that the guide D projects forwardly of angle to the base for a considerable distance before it flares laterally, a conformation which rnay of course be varied at will to best suit conditions. The inner or vertically disposed edge 3| of the guide D serves to shift the opposing heads laterally into substantial alignment under some conditions before the bases in of opposing heads engage. When one coupling head is higher than another, on substantially a straight track, the guide D engages the portion 23 of the opposing head and lifts the centering members li -42 into the area of their guiding or centering range, If such engagement occurs under conditions of extreme vertical and lateral disalignment combined, then the forward lower part of the g'uideD will engage high up on the inclined surface 32 of the head.- From this point the opposing heads will be carried into alignmenta The angularity of the base 10 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the connecter will, as aforesaid, cause opposing bases to also act as lateral guides under this condition. Thus the base it, or that portion of it which lies to the right of the vertical center line of the head, may be said to constitute a vertical-- ly flaring forwardly extending or obliquely disposed prong E for cooperating with the wing D to accomplish lateral and vertical alignment of the head, while that part of the base which lies to the left of the center line of the'head may be said to constitute a rearwardly extending or llquely disposed guiding member I? for cooperatlng with the guiding prong E and win D to generally align mating heads under conditions of lateral displacement, the final act of accurate alignment being performed bythe, cooperating parts H and i2. It is nctindispensably necessary that the guide D extend in width to the Outer point or end 24 of the head A. If desired the wing may be much narrower than shown, and an opening or openings 32a may be base; If! at the point of I of the head. In

juncture between the guide D and the purpose of providing an outlet fo su eign substances, as for instance, snovtaii e, that might tend to accumulate on the base' ofth guide. I

One or more ports for connecting the train lines through my improved head, may be pro vided. In its present embodiment I show the head provided with two such ports placed one above the other with their gasket faces at a 10 right angle to each other. The upper port receives the fitting M, which fitting preferably projects slightly through the headto form a bearing for the latter. The lower port, which includes a suitable housing or bracket 33, is formedintegral 15 with or is otherwise secured to the base iii and. the housing B and wing D. The front face of this housing is perforated and lies approx-1 mately in the plane of the vertical center lineit I removably rffouht a suitable:- 20; steam hose fitting G which carries at: its forward end a flexible or oscillating gasket 34 the: face of which, if the gasket is of non-resilint rnaterial lies in the plane of the vertical center lirieic if the head, a rise or lug 35 being provided off the" vertical edge 3| of the guide D to protect the ket against the damage in coupling further than is naturally done by the oblique arrangement of the couplinghead. To removably secure the n conduit G in place I provide brackets or bearings 35a formed integral or otherwise secured to the under side of the guide orthe base A. A rugged steel plunger or thrust pin is slidingly mounted in bearings in these lugs and projects into or against a lug or bearing" 36 formed on one side of the conduit G. A wing-nu I or other: suitable power means is threadingly mounted ori-' the thrust pin between two of the bearings or brackets 35 as shown, the arrangement being such that rotation of the nut in one direction drives the pin forwardly against the fitting G and forces" the annular shoulder 31 of the fitting rigidly against a wall of the housing 33, while rotation in the opposite direction draws the pin out of engagement with thefitting a it releases the latter. To prevent rotation of the pin I provide it with an elongated flat head 38 which occupies a complementary opening or groove in the rear bracket 35a as shown particularly in Figure 6,

arrangement not only permits removal and replacement of the gasket 34 while the connect'e'n heads remain coupled, but also provides power means for forcing non-resilient gaskets into fluid tight engagement when the fitting G is replaced in the head after removal. Lateral shifting of the heads one on the other when one gasket is forced hard against another, is prevented by a suitable plunger lock operating through hushed bearings 39 and 4B of the base Ill. A suggested suitable form of such lock is shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 741,987, filed August 29, 1934. Inasmuch as the direction of fluid travel through the conduit G is at a right. angle to the longitudinal direction of the bearings F 39-43, the pressure of the fluid will be received by the locks that operate through these bea1-- ings. In this manner the considerable force set up by this pressure, which tends to kick coupled heads apart, is removed from the buffer spring that forms a part of the support C. Further removal of pressure on the buffer spring is secured by arranging the conduit M at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the support, and by disposing its ga ket a yerti a1 plane at a full rightangle to the vertical plane occupied by the gasket 34 in the conduit G.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic train pipe connecter head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged obliquely disposed base, centering means at pposite ends of said base and facing in a direction normal to the plane of the base, and primary guiding means separate from and below said centering means and projectingforwardly of said base.

2. An automatic train pipe connector head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged base, primary guiding means lyingentirely below the horizontal center of said base and extending forwardly and flaring laterally therefrom, and secondary or supplemental guiding means on opposite sides of the vertical center of said base and facing in a direction normal to the plane of the base. a

3. An automatic train pipe connector head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged obliquely disposed base constructed to constitute in itself lateral guiding means for said head, a forwardly extending vertically flaring guiding prong secured to the lower side of said base and having a vertically disposed edge extending forwardly from the bottom of the base at substantially the center thereof, and secondary guiding means arranged at opposite ends of said base and facing in a direction normal to the plane of the base.

4. An automatic train pipe connecter head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged base adapted to guide the head laterally in one direction only, a forwardly extending prong secured to said base and adapted to guide the head laterally in the opposite direction only, said prong extending a substantial distance forwardly from the base at substantially a right angle to the base and thence flaring laterally, and secondary guiding means arranged in opposite corners of said base and above the aforementioned prong to bring opposing heads into final register.

5. An automatic train pipe connecter head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged obliquely disposed oblong base, centering means at opposite ends of said base, and a forwardly extending downwardly inclined laterally flaring guiding prong on one side of the vertical center of said head, said centering means comprising a bifurcated seat on one side of the vertical center of said base and a part-spherical member on the other side of said vertical center, the latter being adapted to rest in said seat of an opposing coupling head.

6. An automatic train pipe connector head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged obliquely disposed substantially fiat oblong base approximately one-half of which projects for- .vardly from the vertical center of the base and the other half of which retreats rearwardly from such center, the lower edge of the forwardly extending portion of the base being inclined upwardly to form a guide for vertical shifting of the head under certain conditions of disalignment, prong secured to the lower side of said base that of said center which is opposite to the side occupied by said guide, said prong extending forwardly of the base at a right angle thereto and adapted under some conditions to co-act with said guide to align opposing coupling heads, and centering means on opposite sides of the vertical center of said head for securing final accurate register of mating heads.

Y. An automatic train pipe connector head comprising, in'cornbination, a vertically arranged obliquely disposed base, centering means on opposite sides of the vertical center of said base and facing in a direction normal to the plane of the base, and a single guiding prong projecting forwardly from the lower edge of said base and flaring downwardly and serving to lift anopposing head and guide it laterally in one direction only.

8. An automatic train pipe connector head comprising, incombination, a vertically arranged base provided with an opening substantially at its center, a housing partly surrounding said opening and extending away from the rear side of said base, a forwardly'extending downwardly inclined guiding prong secured to the lower side of said base on one side of the vertical center of thebase, a second housing secured to said base and having a front face disposed in a vertical plane at a right angle to the vertical plane occu pied by-said base, a'conduit in each of said housings, each said conduit being provided with a gasket which occupies vertical planes at a right angle one to the other, means for preventing damage to said gaskets when opposing heads couple, and means for removably securing said conduits in said housings.

9. An automatic train pipe connector head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged base, centering means on opposite sides of the vertical center of said base, a guide below said centering means and carrying a housing the front face of which is disposed in a vertical plane at a right angle to the vertical plane occupied by said base, a conduit in said housing, and thrust means supported from the under side of said guide and adapted to shift said conduit along said housing.

10. An autJmatic train pipe connector head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged base, centering mean: on opposite sides of the vertical center of said base, a guide below said centering means having a primary guiding function for causing coaction of the said centering means and carrying a housing the front face of which is disposed in a vertical plane at a right angle to the vertical plane occupied by said base, a conduit in said housing, and thrust means supported from the under side of said guide and adapted to shift said conduit along said housing, said thrust means including a plurality of bearings, a shaft mounted in said bearings, means for preventing rotation of the shaft in the bearings, and a member threadingly mounted on said shaft to shift the shaft along said bearings.

11. An automatic train pipe connecter head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged obliquely disposed oblong base, centering means on opposite sides of the vertical center of said base, said means comprising a part-spherical member protruding slightly from said base and an annular seat for said member comprising a plurality of inwardly extending lugs, a primary guiding member below said centering means having a primary guiding function for causing coaction of the said centering means and projecting forwardly of said base and adapted under certain conditions to engage the under side of one end of said base, means to prevent undue rotation of said coupling head when said guiding means and said base engage as stated, a fluid conduit supported from the under side of said primary guiding means, the front face of said conduit being disposed in a plane at a right angle to the.

vertical plane occupied by saidbasajand bearings extending through said base and adapted to receive a lock for anchoring said heads together, the longitudinal direction of said bearings being parallel to the plane occupied by the front face of said conduit.

12. An automatic train pipe connecter head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged base disposed at an angle to the axis of the head and inclining rearwardly from a foremost outer end to a rearmost inner end, said base being equipped with final guiding centering means adjacent to its foremost and rearmost ends, and a primary guiding member projecting forwardly from the base entirely at one side of a vertical plane intersecting the axis of the head and adapted to efiect a preliminary guiding action of mating connecter heads for bringing the guiding centering means aforesaid into play for final accurate cooperation with corresponding means upon an opposite connecter head.

13. An automatic train pipe connecter head comprising, in combination, a vertically arranged base disposed at an angle to the axis of the head and inclining rearwardly from a foremost outer end to a rearmost inner end, said base being equipped with final guiding centering means adjacent to its foremost and rearmost ends, and a primary guiding member projecting forwardly and downwardly from the base at one side of a vertical plane intersecting the axis of the head and adapted to effect a preliminary guiding action of mating conneoter heads for bringing the guiding centering means aforesaid into play for final accurate cooperation with corresponding means upon an opposite connecter head, the said vertically arranged base having its lower edge extending substantially horizontally for some distance away from its primary guiding member aforesaid for cooperation with the upper portion of the primary guiding member of an opposed connecter head.

JOSEPH ROBINSON. 

